


not yourself

by BananasofThorns



Category: Minecraft (Video Game), Video Blogging RPF
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - Gods & Goddesses, Angst, Enderman Hybrid Ranboo (Video Blogging RPF), Gaslighting, Gen, Hopeful Ending, Hurt/Comfort, Manipulation, Mind Control, Minecraft Mechanics, Minor Character Death, Techno Phil and Dream just happen to be gods, aka there's respawning don't worry, all the usual trigger warnings for whenever Dream and Ranboo talk, that is not the focus of this fic though
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-31
Updated: 2021-02-15
Packaged: 2021-03-18 10:48:42
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,040
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29117046
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BananasofThorns/pseuds/BananasofThorns
Summary: Techno doesn't trust Ranboo yet. He and Phil decide to follow the kid to see what he gets up to during the day, and they get dragged into something far more complicated than they expected.
Relationships: Minor or Background Relationship(s), Ranboo & Technoblade & Phil Watson (Video Blogging RPF)
Comments: 17
Kudos: 572
Collections: Completed stories I've read





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> So, fun fact, I started writing this 2 weeks ago and I was very certain that it was going to be hella canon divergent in that I didn't think Dream was actually mind-controlling Ranboo in canon. We still don't know if he is, but as of Ranboo's stream yesterday (1/30/21), I'm thinking it could actually be possible? not sure though. Anyway, enjoy the fic! it is very painful and I am only slightly sorry
> 
> (also, if you're curious, the title is from Ranboo's first panic room conversation with Dream, in which Ranboo asks who he can trust and Dream replies, "Not yourself. I'm not even real.")

“You know, Phil, I’ve been thinking,” Techno says lowly, leaning back against the kitchen counter.

Ranboo is downstairs, trading with villagers, and it’s incredibly unlikely if not impossible that he can hear them from three floors up, but it doesn’t hurt to be quiet. Phil tilts his head, intrigued.

“Oh?”

“Yeah. This Ranboo guy, I still don’t know if we can trust him. Like—” Techno gestures vaguely, “what does he even _do_ all day?”

Phil snorts. “I mean, I trust him, but I know it takes longer for you to warm up to people. The whole forgetting about why he blew up the community house thing was weird, though.”

“I’m gonna follow him,” Techno says like it’s a spur of the moment decision and not something he’s been planning for a few days. “You wanna come with?”

“Sure,” Phil says, chuckling. “You got invis pots?”

“Oh, do I.”

Last night, he’d emptied out most of his ender chest to fill it with potions, and he has even more stocked up in his inventory and in another chest downstairs. He says as much to Phil, who laughs, shaking his head.

“I don’t know what I expected, honestly.”

“I wanted to be prepared.”

Phil snorts and they lapse into comfortable silence; Phil sips his tea while Techno mentally goes back over the plan for the day, ignoring the suggestions that the voices throw his way. A few minutes later, soft footsteps on the stairs signal Ranboo’s approach. He peeks his head into the room and waves, grinning hesitantly, when he sees them. Phil waves back.

“Hey, Ranboo.”

“Hi! Uh. We weren’t doing anything today, were we?”

Ranboo’s hand drifts towards his belt, where his book - Techno’s still not 100% sure what it is, something about memories - is holstered. He relaxes when Phil shakes his head.

“I don’t think so, no.”

“Oh, cool! I was gonna go work on fixing the community house but I wasn’t sure if we’d planned something and I’d just forgotten. I didn’t want to, like, accidentally brush you guys off or anything, you know? That would be awkward.” Ranboo chuckles.

Techno frowns. _Didn’t he say_ he _destroyed the community house?_ He asks Phil, pushing the message towards the other god’s mind. _Why would he want to rebuild it?_

“Nope, you’re good,” Phil assures. To Techno, he replies, _I dunno. Seems kind of suspicious if you ask me._

“Cool. Uh.” Ranboo looks between them, shifting his feet awkwardly. “I’m...just gonna go now. Bye!”

And with that, he turns and leaves, glancing over his shoulder and wincing when he sees that they’re both watching him. He quickly pulls the door open and closes it behind him just as fast. Techno moves over to the window to watch him scurry across the snow-covered lawn back to his shack.

“I don’t trust him,” he says, crossing his arms. “Didn’t he, like, say he couldn’t remember why he destroyed the community house? And now he’s rebuildin’ it? That’s weird, man.”

Phil shrugs. “Maybe we’ll find out more once we follow him.”

“True,” Techno agrees. “Now all we gotta do is wait for him to leave.”

+++

The first few hours following Ranboo are completely unremarkable, so much so that Techno’s starting to second-guess _himself_ on not trusting the guy. Ranboo spends the rest of the morning rebuilding the community house; the most exciting things he does are go to his mine and Eret’s museum. By the third hour mark, Techno is starting to get bored, but he’s not about to give up on this halfway through. What kind of reconnaissance would that be? 

His patience pays off around hour four when Ranboo suddenly freezes, head tilted and brows furrowed. _Phil,_ Techno snaps mentally, just to make sure the other god is paying attention.

Ranboo’s ear twitches and he frowns, backing away from the furnace. He spins around slowly, like he’s searching for something, and then does another, quicker turn when he doesn’t find whatever it is.

“What...where’s that coming from?” He mutters, glancing around the area. “There’s no jukebox around here, right?”

Techno frowns. _Jukebox?_

 _He’s hearing something we aren’t, I think,_ Phil replies, sounding just as perplexed.

“No, there’s not, I know there’s not. I _built_ this, I think I’d know if there was a jukebox close enough to be that loud.” Ranboo chuckles, running a hand through his hair. “I— of _course_ it’s this disc, of course it is. Where is it even...oh, gods.”

He turns slowly north, hand reaching for the book strapped to his side.

“It’s coming from _there._ I have to go there, I have to turn it off, I— oh, _gods._ Why is it coming from there? I haven’t been there in ages! ...I don’t think.”

He grabs his trident from where it’s leaning against one of the furnaces and starts jogging outside, towards the water.

 _There?_ Techno wonders, glancing over to where he’s pretty sure Phil is standing. _What’s ‘there’?_

_I think we’re about to find out._

Luckily, Ranboo is too far away to see the light that comes from Techno and Phil pulling their own tridents from their inventories, and they rush to follow him before he gets too far away. At first, Techno thinks he’s going to L’manberg, but he just skirts around the crater and continues heading north, following the coast. Techno and Phil follow behind, far enough back that he won’t notice the splashes of them tridenting into and out of the water. Eventually, he stops and slings the trident over his shoulder before dropping completely into the water. Techno squints; beneath the waves, he can just barely make out Ranboo swimming through a roughly carved out doorway in the ground.

 _Isn’t he an enderman?_ He asks Phil. 

_Yeah. Only part, though, so maybe the water doesn’t hurt as bad._

Techno hums, trusting the waves to cover the noise. _Should we follow him in?_

_Nah. We’ll see him when he leaves; I don’t think the room down there is very big. I’m pretty sure it’s where he kept his animals after Doomsday, called it his panic room or some shit._

_That’s kind of ominous, not gonna lie._

Phil snorts. _I— is he talking?_

Techno tilts his head, straining to hear. The waves do a pretty good job of obscuring the sound, but Phil is right; Ranboo’s talking to someone.

“...am, yeah,” Ranboo says. A pause, and then, “Didn’t think...either, but. Here.... Did you have something....music I heard?”

 _Music?_ Techno thinks to himself; the voices echo the sentiment. Some of them are screaming about a cat, he’s pretty sure.

“—mean, what music? The disc ...box, that was you. ...me this disc. How did...here?”

 _The waves are making this very difficult,_ Techno mutters to Phil. _I have no idea what he’s talking about._

“I can’t....it was in that chest. —blacked out, and when... gone. This is...been back here in—” The waves cut off the end of Ranboo’s sentence, and there’s a pause before he speaks again. “...maybe. But I didn’t hear....it wasn’t me. ...Right?” Another, longer pause. “It’s not—”

Ranboo stops speaking abruptly. Techno still has no idea what’s going on; the longer Ranboo talks, the more confused he gets. The voices are yelling about Dream, now, and he doesn’t know if that’s a coincidence or not.

“I was.... the community house. Before ...trading with the villagers— Techno’s basement.”

Techno frowns. _Did he just—_

 _It’s fine,_ Phil assures. _It’s not like it’s a huge secret that we took him in._

“..you mean?” A pause. “I. I mean, I...in my shack.” The waves crash gently against the shore; when they recede, Ranboo is speaking again. “..yes. I do.”

Another pause; it’s clear that Ranboo is talking with someone, but Techno has no idea who.

“No, I— trying to send me into... _state_ again. Where...bad things.” There’s another short stretch of silence before Ranboo says, loud enough that Techno can hear him clearly, “Help me remember _what?”_

The silence is longer this time. “I— yeah. ...blacked out. And when I woke up—” A short pause. “No. Oh, no...no, not again. Not— it’s fine! I’m sure....somewhere.”

 _This doesn’t sound good,_ Techno mutters to Phil.

“Yes! ...yes. No, yeah, I...someplace else. What....done with it?” Another long pause. “...thing. There was nothing. Right?”

Ranboo’s voice goes quiet, and Techno crouches down in an attempt to hear him better. Even the voices soften. 

“...a note. From— from Dream.” Techno freezes, and the voices crescendo. “Oh, gods. I— the disc. I gave him the disc, but I don’t remember doing it, and—” Ranboo’s voice starts to rise, panic leaking into his tone. “Now he has all the power. Oh, gods. No. No, no, no, no. Oh, no. I— why would he give it to me if he was just gonna take it back? Huh? Why would he do that?! There’s no reason for that! Unless there is and I just don’t— gods, why can’t I _remember?_ Why can’t I—”

Ranboo’s voice cuts off, dissolving into an enderman screech that has Techno reaching for his sword before his brain can catch up.

_What the fuck?_

_He says he makes enderman noises when under immense stress,_ Phil explains. _Doesn’t explain what the fuck he was on about, though._

There’s a burst of purple static a few feet away from where Techno’s standing and then Ranboo appears, feet sliding on the wet sand. He clutches something - Techno’s pretty sure it’s a music disc, but he can’t see which one - in his hands. His eyes are vacant and his face is blank, and he reaches for his trident with robotic movements.

 _What the fuck?_ Techno repeats.

 _That’s new,_ Phil explains, sounding perturbed. _He can teleport, what the hell?_

 _Follow him,_ Techno orders, pulling out his own trident. Their invisibility is going to run out in a minute or so, but that’s less important than figuring out whatever the fuck is up with Ranboo right now.

They step into the water together and launch into the air, speeding after Ranboo. Sure enough, the invisibility wears off midair, but he seems to have a single-minded focus on whatever his destination is, so Techno doesn’t bother pausing to use another potion. It’s only once they leave the main SMP and pass the strange, still half-constructed white pyramid that he starts to have a suspicion of where they’re going. The voices only compound his surety.

 _Should we pause for invisibility?_ He asks Phil, glancing over his shoulder midair to raise a questioning eyebrow at his friend. _I don’t think we’re gonna want to be seen approachin’._

_You know where he’s going?_

Techno grimances, dropping into the water to soften his landing. He keeps one eye on Ranboo’s direction, just in case he’s wrong. _I have an idea._

Phil lands beside him and they wade to land together. Techno pulls a potion from his inventory and smashes it at their feet; the fumes waft up and they both disappear in a shimmer of blue-grey magic. The tide pulls the glass away, and Techno steps back into the water. There’s a splash as Phil does the same.

_Let’s go._

They follow Ranboo to the mountain that Techno had met Dream on all those months ago. It takes Ranboo a few minutes to carefully pick his way to the peak, but Techno leads Phil up the path he’d memorized and they settle in the bushes to wait. Dream is already there, obnoxious green cloak swaying in the breeze. His hood is pulled low, casting the mask into ominous shadow. Ranboo arrives, eyes empty and hands curled loosely around the disc, and Dream tilts his head.

“I hear you have something for me,” he says, a smile in his voice. 

Ranboo mechanically holds out the disc. Dream takes it and slips it into his inventory; the dull white flash briefly glints on the edges of netherite in his clothes. He chuckles.

“I knew I could count on you to keep it safe.” He pulls something from his inventory. “I have another task for you. Take this.”

Ranboo holds out a hand and Dream drops a flint and steel into it. Slowly, Ranboo’s fingers close over the item, and he steps away.

“There’s a chest full of netherrack in Tommy’s house,” Dream explains. “I need to send a message. You’ll know what to do.”

The voices scream, some in protest and some in excitement. _What the fuck?_ Techno thinks, projecting the sentence to Phil. All he gets in return is the mental equivalent of a shrug.

“Of course,” Ranboo says. His voice is flat.

He turns to leave, but he only makes it a few steps before Dream clears his throat. Techno glances back to the other god and freezes when he realizes that Dream is looking right at where he and Phil are crouched. Their invisibility hasn’t run out, and they’ve both been completely silent, but somehow, Dream can sense them.

 _Phil,_ Techno murmurs. _This is bad._

“You guys can come out now,” Dream calls pleasantly. “I know you’re there.”

With a wave of his hand, the invisibility fades. Techno stares; he had no idea that was even possible. Beside him, Phil curses softly. They stand in unison. Dream tilts his head, walking forward to stand beside Ranboo. He plucks the flint and steel from Ranboo’s hand and sighs.

“I guess I’ll have to do it myself. Oh, well. Ranboo, take care of them.”

Dream turns and starts down the mountain, paying no attention to Techno or Phil. Between one step and the next, he disappears. Techno stares at the empty air for a moment before the voices get too loud and he focuses back on the problem at hand.

Mechanically, Ranboo drops his trident to the ground and unsheathes the two shortswords from his belt, eyes flicking between Techno and Phil. He bares his teeth as he slips into a fighting stance, but there’s still something eerily blank about his expression. It makes Techno hesitate in drawing his sword; beside him, Phil is similarly unsure, hands empty but fingers curled and ready to conjure his weapon from his inventory at any moment.

“Ranboo,” he says lowly. “You sure you want to do this, mate?”

Ranboo adjusts his grip on his swords. “I have to.”

That’s all the warning they get before he charges forward, much faster than Techno expected. He and Phil draw their swords in twin flashes of light, but Ranboo has already disappeared into a cloud of purple particles. The air pops behind Techno, but he isn’t fast enough to turn and two swords slam into his side; one of them clangs against his armor, but the second cuts into the gap between his chestplate and leg guards. He snarls, vision bleeding red as he swings his greatsword out in a wide arc; metal screeches against metal as Ranboo uses all his strength to block the blow.

Phil darts forward, using Ranboo’s distraction to try and break his guard, but Ranboo backs away too quickly and Phil’s sword slashes harmlessly through the air. Ranboo takes only a split second to catch his breath before darting forward again; Techno readies his sword for another swing, but Ranboo leaps into the air and vanishes a foot out of his range. The purple particles are still fading when he reappears a good two feet above Techno and Phil. He slashes at Phil as he falls, leaving a long line of red across the man’s face, and turns midair to face Techno as he lands, leaving Phil to recover behind him. The voices roar, and Techno snarls in harmony with them.

He doesn’t allow Ranboo to catch his balance, driving his greatsword in an arc towards Ranboo’s side. He stumbles, reeling from the blow, and Techno charges forward, Phil beside him. Ranboo bares his teeth in a silent snarl, but his eyes are still empty, and beneath the bloodlust, a feeling of wrongness tugs at Techno’s mind. He pushes it back; they can worry about that later, when Ranboo isn’t trying to kill them on the orders of the god of this world.

He’s is surprisingly good at fighting, but he’s no match for Technoblade and Philza combined, and before long, the point of Techno’s sword is at his throat. Techno doesn’t know why he hesitates - Ranboo will just respawn, anyway, but...for the first time the entire fight, his eyes are clear. His face is bloody and bruised, a cut running across his cheekbone in return for the wound he’d given Phil, and his breathing is labored and panicked. He’s going to die anyway, his wounds are too severe, and Techno doesn’t know why he’s not just ending it now. The voices scream for blood and Ranboo looks up at him with wide, fearful eyes, tears burning a trail down his face.

“I’m sorry,” he murmurs, coughing; blood paints his lips and seeps into the ground beneath him. “I’m sorry, I’m sorry, please—”

Techno brings the sword down. 

Slowly, Ranboo’s body disappears until all that’s left is the bloodstained grass and his trident, discarded a few feet away. Techno drops his sword into his inventory with numb fingers. He picks up the trident and slings it over his shoulder, then turns and starts back down the mountain. There’s a cut on his leg that twinges with every step. He ignores it.

“Techno,” Phil says.

“We gotta go,” Techno interrupts, reaching for an ender pearl. “He’s gonna be respawnin’ soon and we gotta talk about what the fuck just happened.”

The voices are less thunderous now that they’ve been satiated, but they’ve changed tunes to shout about Ranboo and how he didn’t deserve to die like that, and Techno wants to scream. _Fucking hypocrites,_ he thinks with enough vitriol that the shouting falls silent for nearly a second before picking right back up where it left off.

“Let’s go,” he mutters, throwing the pearl as far as he can back towards the SMP.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> that was very painful and I am sorry. the next chapter will be at least slightly better. let me know what you think!  
> here is Dream and Ranboo's full conversation in the panic room, if anyone is curious:
> 
>  **Dream:** You’re back.
> 
>  **Ranboo:** I am, yeah.
> 
>  **Dream:** I didn’t think you’d return.
> 
>  **Ranboo:** I didn’t think I would either, but. Here we are. Did you have something to do with the music I heard?
> 
>  **Dream:** What music?
> 
>  **Ranboo:** Wh— what do you mean, what music? The disc that was in the jukebox, that was you. You gave me this disc. How did it get here?
> 
>  **Dream:** I don’t know, you must’ve put it there.
> 
>  **Ranboo:** I can’t have. It was...it was in that chest, and then I blacked out, and when I woke up, it was gone. This is the first time I’ve been back here in days!
> 
>  **Dream:** Is it? Maybe you’ve forgotten.
> 
>  **Ranboo:** Maybe...maybe. But I didn’t hear it earlier! Which means it wasn’t me. ...right?
> 
>  **Dream:** Who knows. Maybe your memory is getting worse.
> 
>  **Ranboo:** It’s not—
> 
>  **Dream:** What’s the last thing you remember?
> 
>  **Ranboo:** I was...I was working on rebuilding the community house. And before that I was trading with the villagers at— in Techno’s basement.
> 
>  **Dream:** And before that?
> 
>  **Ranboo:** What do you mean?
> 
>  **Dream:** What happened before that? Can you remember?
> 
>  **Ranboo:** I. I mean, I woke up. In my shack. Right?
> 
>  **Dream:** hm. Do you remember falling asleep?
> 
>  **Ranboo:** yes...? Yes. I do.
> 
>  **Dream:** Are you sure? You didn’t do anything else?
> 
>  **Ranboo:** no, I— you’re trying to send me into that— into that state again. Where I black out and do...bad things.
> 
>  **Dream:** I’m just trying to help you remember.
> 
>  **Ranboo:** Help me remember what?
> 
>  **Dream:** Well, how did the disc get here? You had it earlier, didn’t you?
> 
>  **Ranboo:** I— yeah. But then I blacked out. And when I woke up—
> 
>  **Dream:** The disc was gone.
> 
>  **Ranboo:** No. Oh, no. No, no, not again. Not— it’s fine! I’m sure I just...rehid it somewhere.
> 
>  **Dream:** Are you sure? 
> 
> **Ranboo:** Yes! ...yes. No, yeah, I probably just put it someplace else. What else would I have done with it?
> 
>  **Dream:** I don’t know, you don’t remember. What else was in the chest?
> 
>  **Ranboo:** Nothing. There was nothing. Right?
> 
>  **Dream:** Are you sure?
> 
>  **Ranboo:** ...no. There was a note. From— from Dream. Oh, gods. I— I gave him the disc. I gave him the disc, but I don’t remember doing it, and now— now he has all the power again. Oh, gods. No. No, no, no, no. Oh, no. I— why would he give it to me if he was just gonna take it back? Huh? Why would he do that?! There’s no reason for that! Unless there is and I just don’t— gods, why can’t I remember? Why can’t I—


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm not super happy with this chapter but I didn't want to just leave you guys hanging after promising a second one,,,,,,,,,hopefully it's not too bad of an ending?

They find Ranboo in his shack, sitting on his bed and staring at his bloodied and torn shirt and equally scuffed armor with a distant look in his eyes. He jumps up with a concerningly real-looking smile when Phil clears his throat to get his attention, and his expression only flickers when he sees their wounds and the blood splattering their own armor.

“Phil? Techno? What...what happened? Why are you—?”

Techno exchanges a look with Phil, who grimaces and forces a less-than-convincing smile onto his face.

“Hey, mate! Ah...what’re you up to?”

Ranboo blinks at them for a second before his expression brightens back to what it had been when he first saw them. “Oh. Uh...I’m not really sure, actually. I’m trying to figure out why I woke up and my shirt and armor were all messed up.”

Techno winces.

“Ah,” Phil says, dropping his smile. “About that. What do you...what’s the last thing you remember, Ranboo?”

“Um....” Ranboo glances down at the bloodied cloth in his hand, then towards Techno and Phil’s wounds, and then finally back to their faces. “I don’t...I was working on fixing the community house. I think. And then....” His face shutters, suddenly, going so blank so fast that it’s almost eerie. “I don’t remember. Why don’t I remember?”

He reaches for his memory book. Techno glances at Phil.

“About that,” he starts; Ranboo’s eyes snap up to look at him, hand still hovering over his book. Techno scrambles for the right words and quickly gives up on trying to be delicate. “How long have you been gettin’ mind-controlled by Dream?”

“Techno!” Phil hisses.

Ranboo stares. “How long have I  _ what?” _

“Okay, let’s back up a bit,” Phil interjects, glaring at Techno, who shrugs. “Don’t, like...freak out, or anything, but Techno and I were following you today to see what you got up to.”

“You’re kind of suspicious,” Techno points out.

Ranboo blinks at him. “That’s...yeah. Okay. What does this have to do with me being...mind-controlled? Apparently?”

He sounds surprisingly composed for someone who recently respawned only to be told they’ve been under the control of the god of the server, but Techno can see how tight he’s holding the hilts of his swords. He’s not even sure when Ranboo had grabbed them.

“That’s a good question,” Phil agrees. “You were pretty normal for a few hours, but around early afternoon, you suddenly froze up. Said you were hearing something...music, I think? But we weren’t hearing it. We followed you to your panic room, I think, and you started talking to someone but I don’t know who—”

“I have my suspicions,” Techno mutters.

Phil nods. “I’m getting there. Anyway, you kept arguing with whoever it was until something...snapped, I guess? Got triggered? I dunno, but you teleported out of the room - how long could you do that for, by the way? - and we followed you to a mountain. Dream was waiting there, and he somehow saw through our invis potions. He told you to fight us, and you did.”

“And then you killed me,” Ranboo murmurs, staring at his bloody, torn shirt.

Techno looks away, wincing, and the voices scream louder. “Yeah.”

There’s a long moment of tense, awkward silence. Ranboo sits back down on his bed, knees curled up to his chest.

“I hear Dream’s voice in my head,” he mutters. “That’s...that’s probably who I was talking to. In the panic room. But I thought it wasn’t real, that it was just...my brain catastrophizing, or something. Not—”

“Not the god of this world manipulating you,” Phil finishes bluntly.

Ranboo blinks up at him. “The— sorry, the  _ god?” _

“Ah,” Techno says, and then doesn’t elaborate. Phil started that conversation thread, so he can end it.

“Dream is the god of this world,” Phil explains. “I don’t know why he chose you, specifically, but...I think this voice you’ve been hearing is actually him. I’m pretty sure he’s been mind-controlling you to do his dirty work for him.”

“That’s...oh,” Ranboo says softly. “But how come I’ve only been hearing— he’s only spoken to me when I’m in the panic room? Not anywhere else?”

Phil glances at Techno, who shrugs. “I’m...not sure, honestly, but maybe stay away from the panic room until we can figure out how to protect you from getting controlled.”

“That makes sense.”

“And tell Techno or I if you start hearing things again.”

Ranboo nods slowly. “Yeah, okay.” He glances up, eyes still wide, and freezes when he sees the cut on Phil’s face, like he’s just realized that it’s there. “...I did that, didn’t I.”

It’s not a question. Phil nods and Ranboo shudders, curling further in on himself.

“I’m sorry,” he mumbles.

Phil waves a hand. “Eh, it’s fine. Nothing a regen potion or two won’t fix.”

“Like you could severely injure us in the first place,” Techno points out. “I mean, you’re pretty good at fightin’, but—”

“But it’s  _ you,” _ Ranboo agrees, smiling hesitantly. “Yeah, I didn’t stand a chance.”

“Exactly.”

Techno tries to ignore the bitterness that rises when he thinks about the fact that Dream clearly knew Ranboo was going into that fight to die, but it’s hard to do when all the voices are shouting indignantly about the same thing.

“I can train you,” he says instead of voicing those thoughts. Both Phil and Ranboo stare at him, surprised. “You’re pretty good already, but I could make you even better.”

“Oh. Okay,” Ranboo says hesitantly. “I— if you’re sure.”

“You think I’d offer if I wasn’t?”

Ranboo snorts. “True. Yeah, I’d like that.”

“Pog.”

There’s a beat of silence again before Phil laughs, wincing when the motion pulls at his cut.

“Ah, shit, forgot about that,” he mutters. “Let’s go get bandaged up, Techno. Ranboo, you can come too, if you want.”

“I—”

Techno rolls his eyes. “C’mon. It’s cold out here. You just respawned, you can come stay in the cabin for a bit. Just because it would be unfortunate if you died again,” he adds when the voices start cooing and Phil fixes him with a fond, too-knowing look.

Ranboo smiles. “Okay. Just so I don’t freeze.”

“Exactly.”

**Author's Note:**

> thank you for reading! comments and kudos are greatly appreciated
> 
> a note on Phil, Techno, and Dream:  
> All three of them are gods, which means they have more powers than mortals do - they can speak into people's minds (messaging), they have access to inventory, and unless you're also a god/Entity, they're usually hard to kill or gravely injure. There are some other things/powers (mostly based on the individual, not the god status itself), but I think those are the main points that come up in this fic.  
> Phil is the oldest and most powerful out of the three of them, but because they're on Dream's world, Phil's strength is lessened while Dream's is increased. Techno was originally a mortal who became a god, but that's also not really relevant for this fic.


End file.
